


Mourning Fields

by SherlockianWhovian



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Captain Swan - Freeform, Character Death, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Season/Series 03, Underworld (Once Upon a Time)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-22 04:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianWhovian/pseuds/SherlockianWhovian
Summary: When Killian doesn't survive the encounter with Zelena and Rumplestiltskin, Emma regrets not telling him that she loved him. She realises that he's trapped in the Mourning Fields, a place in the Underworld for those who lived their lives with unrequited love, and decides to save him from an eternity trapped alone.





	Mourning Fields

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt on the csprompter Tumblr blog: "Killian dies, and ends up there, because Emma was too scared to return his love. She regrets it immensely after he dies, though; she does love him, a lot, she just never told him. So she makes her way into the Underworld and tracks him down, and gets him out, and confesses her feelings."

_He felt like there was something important that he’d forgotten.   
_

_A tiny piece of knowledge that was fluttering right in front of him but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t reach out and grasp it.   
_

_He shook his head a little, refusing to let the thought bug him as he moved through the seemingly endless fields. All that mattered was his Swan, she needed his help, if only he could find her…_

-

“Hook!” Emma cried, shaking the leather-clad pirate in an attempt to get a response from him. She leaned down over him again, breathing into his mouth and pushing down on his chest, “Don’t leave me! Hook, come on!”

Her magic lit them both in a bubble of golden light as it flowed from her palms into him, searching out any injury that it could heal but finding none. She refused to consider why her magic hadn’t been taken when she’d pressed her lips against his to force breath into his body, that maybe the spell had broken with its host still and silent…

“Killian!” she pleaded, beginning a new round of CPR and refusing to give up on him even as time ticked away.

-

A traditional burial seemed wrong for the infamous Captain Hook, but who was she to say anything on the matter? By the time she realised that funeral plans had already been put into place, it had been too late to make any big changes.

A part of her was angry that she hadn’t been consulted, that they’d not taken the time to consider that she might know what his wishes might have been, but a far larger part was angry at herself.

She didn’t have any right to make decisions for him, to have an opinion about his funeral. She wasn’t his next of kin, his girlfriend, his _wife_ \- and now she never would be. She loved him but by not telling him when she’d had the chance, she’d thrown away any future or potential happiness that they may have had together.

-

She’d kept his satchel, not daring to open it for the first few days after the funeral, as though he might walk into the loft at any moment and catch her looking through his things. It gave her a chance to get to know him a little better, to discover the things he kept close to him at least, even if she’d never be able to hear the stories behind each item from him directly.

She’d found a spare hook at the bottom of the bag, hidden beneath a journal and a scarf exactly like the one he’d used to bandage her hand at the top of the beanstalk, and she’d taken to keeping it beside her bed. Discovering it had come as something of a shock to her, it had broken her heart to let the ‘main’ hook be buried with him, and it was yet another thing that she hadn’t had the chance to know from him.

A piece of what looked to be rigging from the Jolly Roger was also in the satchel and she found herself mourning its loss too. Only he had known what had happened to his beloved ship and it was painful that she’d never see those masts and sails on the horizon again.

He was gone and every day there seemed to be something new to remind her of that fact.

-

_“Swan!” he called out as he hacked through the dense tall grasses with his cutlass, exerting great effort but never tiring.  
_

_She was his everything, the one who’d convinced him that he could be a better man and love again, and he needed to get to her. The environment continued to test him, but nothing could distract him from his quest.  
_

_He didn’t know where he was, but that hardly mattered when Emma was somewhere and she needed him…_

-

She shot upright with a gasp, the dream still clear in her mind as she forced herself out of bed. She’d hoped that he was at peace, that he was resting somewhere and watching over her, but instead he was trapped in an endless search for her. It could have just been a dream, but it felt so real, how could she not investigate further?

She’d failed him once, she wouldn’t dare do it again.

“Where do people go when they die?” she demanded of Gold just a short time later, the spare hook in her hand as she burst past him into his home, “I need to get to Killian. I can hear him calling for me and I dream about him searching for me.”

“Miss Swan, do you have any idea what time-?” he started with a frown.

“The time doesn’t matter! I’ve already waited too long!” she yelled, frantic to get a plan in place, “Killian isn’t at peace, I need to help him and you owe me!”

“I owe you nothing.”

“You killed him! You drowned him! We got you out from under Zelena’s control or have you forgotten that?”

The Dark One shook his head and led her through the house to his study, “Little is known about the Underworld, but the Greek myths seem most accurate from what I’ve read.”

“And what do they say?”

“Either he’s at peace and moved on, he’s being tortured in something akin to hell or he’s in a state of limbo. From what you’ve said, perhaps he’s in the Mourning Fields?” he murmured, pulling out a book from the shelf and putting it down on the table. He opened it to a page and pushed it towards her, “It’s supposedly a place in the Underworld where people who’ve wasted their lives on unrequited love get sent.”

“But his love wasn’t…” she trailed off, reading the words carefully, “How do I get to him?”

“Miss Swan, Hook is dead.” he said gently, “Even if there was a way to get to the Underworld, there wouldn’t be a way to bring him back. Especially with how much time has passed, there’s no body for his soul to return to.”

“If I can tell him how I feel, he’ll be able to move on though, right?” she asked hopefully, “I can’t let him stay trapped.”

-

“You’re going to the Underworld?” David repeated with raised eyebrows, “How is that even possible?”

“Gold has a way.” she replied, determination on her face, “If I can’t get him back then I have to let him move on. I have to help him, Dad. He came to New York to bring me home, I can’t just leave him.”

“If this is something that you feel that you need to do then we’ll support you.” Snow spoke up with a warm smile, “As long as we don’t lose you in the process, we’re all for it.”

David glanced over to his wife, sharing a silent conversation with her before he too nodded, “If that’s how you feel about him then you should get a chance to tell him.”

-

“Pour it on the grave, step into the spell and think about him. You should then be taken to him, or somewhere nearby, and you’ll have 24 hours in the Underworld before you’re brought back. It’ll be just a few moments for us.” Gold explained, carefully handing over the potion bottle to Emma, “I’ve only got a couple of bottles of this, don’t mess it up, Miss Swan.”

“No pressure.” she huffed a nervous laugh, glancing at her parents and Henry before she took the few steps forward to the grave.

She took a few deep breaths before she poured out the liquid and stepped forward as it glittered on the grave. She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on Killian, feeling a gust of air before everything was still again. She slowly blinked her eyes open and was amazed to find herself in a field that went on for as far as the eye could see.

“Right, 24 hours.” she breathed, glancing around as she set off in one direction.

-

For hours and hours that felt like days, Emma ran through the long grasses, desperately looking for any sign of Killian. She’d called his name until her throat was raw, looking around in every direction as she ran.

Finally, she saw a figure in the distance and her entire being told her that it was him.

“Killian!” she cried, forcing herself to move faster now she had somewhere to move towards. The closer she got, the bigger her smile was as his black leather duster shone in the sunlight.

“Killian!” she called again, her heart skipping a beat when he turned towards her. His hair was ruffled with a strand fallen across his forehead, his hook was polished to perfection, his sword was raised for clearing a path and his blue eyes were just as radiant as she remembered.

“Swan?” he gasped, returning his sword to its sheath and beginning to jog towards her, “I had to find you! Are you alright, lass?”

“I’ve missed you so much.” she stumbled over her words as she grabbed him, clinging to him in a hug she’d never have allowed before. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she took in his scent and his feel. Losing him had proven just how strong her feelings were for him and she never wanted to let him go again.

He held her close before he studied her face when she stepped back, his expression full of concern for her, “What’s wrong, love? What’s happened?”

“You don’t know, do you?” she realised with a shaky breath, taking his hand and hook in her hands, “Killian, you’re… you’re…”

“I’m what?” he replied with a nervous smile, squeezing her hand to encourage her to continue.

“I love you.” she declared instead of continuing with her previous statement, unable to hold back the information any longer, “I should have told you before but I was so scared about getting hurt. I love you, Killian.”

“I love you too.” he responded without a hint of hesitation, grinning and pulling her in for a kiss.

When they pulled apart for air, they were no longer standing in a field but a street. Main Street of Storybrooke, to be exact, or the Underworld version of the town at least.

“Did you move us?” he asked, glancing around and frowning a little at the red tint of the place, “Where are we?”

“We’re in the Underworld.” she admitted, reaching up and stroking his cheek, “You were trapped in a place called the Mourning Fields and I came to get you.”

“The Mourning Fields?” he repeated, his eyes widening as he remembered his Navy education in Greek language, culture and myths, “We’re dead? How did we die? How did you die?”

“I’m not dead.” she replied gently, “But you… Zelena…”

“You came to help me move on.” he realised with a sad smile, swallowing a little as emotion rose in his chest, “My love for you is unrequited but you didn’t want me to suffer in those fields for eternity.”

“I love you.” she insisted, “You are so different from anyone else I’ve ever met. You believe in me, love me as I am and never give up on me. You can see me like no one else can too. You pushed past my walls the moment I met you and you keep on doing it. I knew how I felt about you, but I just couldn’t tell you. I was so afraid of letting you in, of being vulnerable with someone, that I let it ruin what we could have had.”

“I can’t move on.” he murmured, his deep blue eyes gazing at her, “How can I without you? You mean everything to me, Emma. You gave me hope when I had none, you made me want to be a better man after centuries of bloodshed. I have to wait for you, my saviour, no matter how long that might take.”

“No.” she sobbed, letting her emotions free as she stroked his hair and held him close, “Move on and be happy. Don’t wait for me here.”

“Emma.” he sighed, holding her against him.

“Please, for me.” she begged through her tears, “Don’t stay when you could be happy. We’ll see each other again, I know it. Promise me that you’ll move on, Killian.”

“I promise.” he murmured, closing his eyes and enjoying their moment together before she was suddenly gone. He opened his eyes and looked down at his empty arms, his heart breaking when he realised that he’d be alone once more.

-

When Emma opened her eyes, she found herself alone on Killian’s grave.

“No! No! Please, that can’t be it! No!” she sobbed, turning to Gold, “You have to send me back there! You have to send me back to him!”

“Did you manage to do it? Did you save him?” Snow asked, stepping forward and pulling her daughter into a hug.

“Yes! But now he’s there alone and I can’t just leave him!”

“He’s dead.” Gold spoke as gently as he could, “It would take a miracle to return him to life. He needs to move on and so do you.”

-

_“Zeus?” Killian said with disbelief, convinced his eyes were deceiving him as he stared at the figure in front of him in the golden tunnel._

_“Killian Jones.” the god greeted with a nod, “I’m here to take you to where you belong.”_

_“Does everyone get the personal treatment?” the pirate asked with a slight smile.  
_

_“No, but you’re hardly everyone. You’re centuries old and a man who reformed against all odds. You are a good man, Killian.”  
_

_“I doubt that.”_

_“Come, it’s time for you to move on and find some peace.”_

_With a deep breath, Killian turned towards the light and walked forwards with Zeus at his side, not looking back and thinking only of his Swan._

-

A wave of rainbow light shot out over Storybrooke and Emma froze. She’d been walking back through the cemetery after placing fresh flowers on Killian’s grave but something told her to turn around.

Slowly, cautiously, she did.

She cast her umbrella aside without a second thought and ran through the falling rain, throwing herself at the man who stood where his own headstone had just moments before.

“How are you here?” she gasped in amazement, her arms wrapped around his neck as she placed kiss after kiss on his face, “You’re alive!”

“Zeus sent me here, apparently it’s where I belong.” he chuckled, resting his hand and hook on her hips and enjoying her attentions, “I love you, Emma.”

“I love you too.” she grinned, pressing another kiss against his lips, “I’m so sorry it took me so long to tell you, but it’s never happening again. From now on, I’m in.”

“I’m in too.” he agreed, amazed that the woman he loved was finally in love with him too.

“Before we go any further, there’s something I’d like to know.” she admitted, “What happened to your ship?”

“I wondered when you’d ask.” he sighed, a little sadness creeping into his expression, “I needed a magic bean to get to you and I only had one thing of value to trade for a bean.”

“The Jolly Roger.” she breathed in realisation, shocked that he’d traded his life, _his home_, for her without any guarantee that she would return his feelings, “You traded your ship for me?”

“Aye.” he replied with a nod.

She stared at him before she grabbed him again and pulled him into another kiss, amazed that she’d found someone so wonderful who loved her so completely.

“Come on.” he murmured as they pulled back from one another, “Let’s go and get some rum. I think we need it after what we’ve just been through.”

“Aye.” she agreed, taking his hand in hers and leading him towards the town.


End file.
